Bigger Wheels

[Geoff W]

Hi all.
Just thinking of putting alloys on my 97 C180, alot seem to put bigger wheels on than standard, so, does this affect the speedo reading? is it advisable? if i do should i tell the insurance of a modification or not? will it affect the ride/handling?
Regards Geoff.

 

[Ultymate]

Geoff if you fit bigger ie larger diameter wheels you have to fit lower profile tyres so the rolling radius of the wheel tyre combo stays the same and hence you don't have speedo calibration issues. This is the way everyone seems to go, if carried too far you can end up with extremely low profile tyres which can adversely affect the ride comfort, I'm sure others who've actually done this will chime in with their reccomendations and experiences. I don't think it's an issue for your insurers.

 

[Bolide]

You need to maintain the original rolling radius within a few percent. You can use my tyre size calculator to compare wheel sizes and tyre widths & profiles

http://www.bolide.co.uk/actions/info.taf?page=tyresizecalculator

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[bigasotonuk]

Hi,
You are obliged to tell the insurance "every modification" away from the factory standard.
It won,t nessaccarily cost you more but if you don,t you may very well find yourself with no insurance when you need to claim.
If you put bigger original Mercedes wheels you could argue that they were factory fitted.

 

[Flying Scot]

Hi,
You are obliged to tell the insurance "every modification" away from the factory standard.
It won,t nessaccarily cost you more but if you don,t you may very well find yourself with no insurance when you need to claim.
If you put bigger original Mercedes wheels you could argue that they were factory fitted.

as it is a 97 car you could say they were on it when he bought it AND you thought they were a STD fitment it is a Merc after all BUT it will be a free option - (check before you buy the wheels) on the insurance policy - UNLESS he lives in Liverpool of course